The Washington Redskins at the National Level

A major issue right now that has created a lot of controversy in the National spotlight is the term “Redskin.” Should sport teams be able to use the term “Redskin” as their team name? There is a professional football team by the name of the Washington Redskins. Many people find this very insulting and feel that they should be forced to change their name. Then there are other people who value tradition so much, and those people think the name should not be changed. The Oneida Indian Nation in upstate New York has started a major campaign to change the name of the Washington Redskins. In early September, they started a radio ad to urge the NFL to change the name. The ad consisted of commending the NFL for how they handled the situation of racial issue that happened earlier in summer with an NFL player making racial gestures. Riley Cooper, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles was caught on camera making obscured comments. The NFL did not turn a blind eye to it, and they handled the situation. The Native Americans were happy with this, but now they want the NFL to go a step further. They find that the name is very offensive to them. There are some publications that will refuse to use the term “Redskin” when talking about the Washington Redskins. They now refer to them as the “Washington Team.” These publications include The New Republic and Mother Jones. Peter king, a famous Sports Writer has also chimed in by saying that he will no longer use the team name. Another major figure who said he wouldn’t be against a name change is President Obama. He was quoted saying that “I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.” He also added that if he was the owner he would consider a name change. With all that being said, the decision that would make the most sense would seem to be changing the name right? Well not so fast, there are many people who feel that this name is not offensive, and the name should NOT be changed. In June, the Washington Post did a poll and it showed that 8 out of every 10 people felt that the Redskins should not change their name. Many people feel that this is such a value of their tradition, and the name should not be changed. Other people feel that the name really shouldn’t bother people. Regardless of the reason, Washington Redskin Owner, Daniel Snyder has made it clear that he does not want to change the name. “We’ll never change the name” Snyder said. There are many ways to look at this matter. At the end of the day, I would say this is going to come down to what the Leaders of the NFL, and what the Leaders of the Washington Redskin organization feel about the matter. Here is a link to a video on the topic. http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/8/change_the_mascot_pressure_grows_for Here are some links to related articles on the topic. http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/09/09/220654611/are-you-ready-for-some-controversy-the-history-of-redskin http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=219725273 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/redskins/2013/11/12/president-obama-oneida-indians-washington-nfl/3511001/ http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/opinion/smith-jfk-redskins/ bibliography "News & Conversations." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete "USA TODAY: Latest World and US News." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Website